Good Lord, David Rivera Is Running for Office Again

Former Rep. David Rivera loves holding political office. He loves it so much that he once allegedly funded a ringer candidate in a primary race against his Democratic opponent.

Miami-Dade voters apparently no longer like having Rivera in political office, though. After serving a single term in the U.S. House, Rivera was defeated in 2012. He tried to make a comeback in 2014 but finished fourth out of five candidates in the Republican primary for the seat. He received only 2,209 votes. The National Journal dubbed it "the worst congressional comeback attempt of all time."

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According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rivera emailed his supporters Wednesday — from his personal Comcast email account — to announce he'll run for the Florida House of Representatives in District 118.

The district is currently represented by Frank Artiles, a controversial guy in his own right, but Artiles has announced he's now seeking a seat in the state Senate.

Two other Republicans have so far registered for the race: Steven Tallon Rojas, head of FIU's Talent Development Network, and Kendall businessman Anthony Rodriguez. Both are political newcomers.

Rivera previously spent eight years in the state House before winning his seat in Congress. In Tallahassee, he was a close friend of Marco Rubio's. The pair even owned a home together. Interestingly, Rivera made his latest announcement the day after Rubio exited the presidential race.

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That saga, of course, is just the latest accusation to pop up against Rivera. Amazingly, he has never received more than a slap on the wrist for his many alleged misdeeds, but the investigation into his 2012 campaign shenanigans is ongoing. Forget Hillary Clinton's email scandal — there is still a very real possibility Rivera could be indicted before Election Day in November.

Rivera hopes his supporters will become part of "The 100," the first 100 donors to his campaign.

The district is drawn in favor of Republicans, but all of Rivera's troubles may be good news for Robert Asencio, a former Miami-Dade County Public Schools Police captain, who is currently the only Democrat running.

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